Following Her Dreams
by msjewell
Summary: Elizabeth moves to New York City to follow her lifelong dream of becoming a chef, but conflicting opportunities and the handsome, enigmatic and proud William Darcy will make her journey more complex than she originally bargained for.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey friends! This is my first fanfiction, I frequent the P &P section of this website often but have never written something and decided I'd give it a try as I had some free time on my hands. I'm not entirely sure where the story is going or if I will continue it, I'm thinking of updating every Sunday, but I'll see. Constructive criticism/feedback is welcome, of course! _

_Thank you!_

 **Chapter One**

Elizabeth stepped out of the shower, pausing on the fluffy white bath mat that had been a gift from her sister Kitty, who worked part time at Crate and Barrel while attending college back in Austin. It had been nearly ten months since Elizabeth had moved to New York—ten months since her friends and family had thrown her a Goodbye Austin/Hello New York City party where she had received this gift and countless others, ten months since she'd got on that flight barreling towards New York City and a future she couldn't have been more uncertain about.

She searched out the foggy outline of her body in mirror. Her dark hair that was already beginning to curl as it dried, her slim neck and generous breasts, the way her waist nipped into a slightly curved, soft stomach and then flared out again at her hips and curvy thighs and finally tucked in at her little ankles and feet. Elizabeth smiled slightly and turned to grab her towel. She was getting better at the positive self-image stuff Jane had been coaxing her into since Ethan and her early morning workouts had been paying off, there was definition in her thighs and stomach that hadn't been there months ago.

After drying off and pulling on a form fitting grey t-shirt and comfortable dark-wash jeans—clothing she had practically lived in since she began working as a chef at The Acorn—she patted her hair dry with a towel, slipped on her comfy electric-blue flats and left her tiny Manhattan apartment for work. The Acorn, a casual restaurant with a commitment to fresh, locally grown produce, unique takes on classic dishes and a buzzing atmosphere—all attributes which had originally attracted Elizabeth—was just over 4 blocks from her apartment, a quick walk that Elizabeth looked forward to everyday as it provided her with an opportunity to move through a space bigger than her 185 square foot apartment and offered solitude that could not be found in The Acorns bustling and chaotic kitchen.

Moving to New York City hadn't been an easy choice for Elizabeth, who was used to the more spacious and nature-filled landscape of Austin. She had adored canoeing on the Colorado River, jogging around Lady Bird Lake with her childhood dog Nat and watching the famous bats fly out from under Congress Bridge at dusk. Austin was where she'd grown up. Where her parents and sisters—excluding Jane—lived and where she'd attended college. It was her old stomping ground. But New York City had its own perks. Not only did the Big Apple provide countless more opportunities for Elizabeth as a chef, the move had also forced her out of her comfort zone. It had forced her to put both feet in at once and ride it out until the quite possibly bitter end. Although her Manhattan apartment was nothing like the house Ethan and her had planned to purchase in Austin, a fact her mother lamented frequently, her little New York Home with its tiny kitchen, tinier bathroom and cramped "multi-purpose space" which served as a dining room, office, bedroom, living room and foyer all in one had its own unique, urban appeal. It was raw, real and all Lizzy, unlike the sophisticated suburban house she would've shared with Ethan back in Texas. It was blocks away from her job at The Acorn, a job that she enjoyed infinitely more than she had enjoyed working as a sales representative for a construction company back in Austin and it was a mere walk away from Central Park and hordes of fabulous cafes, bars and restaurants.

As Lizzy rounded the corner and entered the back door used for staff at The Acorn she met Paul and Nancy Schneider, the owners who had opened the restaurant as a sort of retirement project and who oversaw every little detail. At least until Lizzy had arrived. Although her resume had been weak at best—experience as a waitress back in Austin, a two month cooking class in Paris (a sort of therapy, prescribed by Jane, her psychologist sister, after Ethan had dumped her) and a lifelong passion for cooking Elizabeth had only managed to convince them to hire her on after cooking for them. Since then, Elizabeth had taken on increased responsibilities, including kitchen-supervision as head chef, giving Paul and Nancy a break they hadn't had since they opened the restaurant, as well as the authority to test new recipes—four of which had made it on the menu so far.

"Good morning Lizzy! Early as usual!" Nancy said, smiling affectionately at the younger woman. Not only had Elizabeth lessened the cumbersome burden that owning a restaurant in New York City had placed on the retired couple but she had also injected new life into The Acorn with her creativity and tangible enthusiasm. The Schneider's had fallen quite in love with the clever, energetic and warm woman that was Elizabeth Bennet.

"I wanted to make sure that we got a good start today! I know tonight's going to be busy and…well you know, I love my work!"

Paul chuckled "We sure do. And we love having you here Elizabeth. Really. That's something Nancy and I want to talk to you about, how much we love having you here and how good you've been for the restaurant. We can go over logistics and particulars later in my office but we want to offer you a partnership Elizabeth."

Paul paused, gauging Elizabeth's reaction before continuing. "You have proven yourself highly capable and have boosted sales enormously. Nancy and I have been thinking of going on a three week long hike across France in a couple months and we'd like to take some other opportunities to travel also. You would be left in charge, as a partner. Entitled to a portion of the profits in exchange for the responsibility and stress that would be placed on your shoulders."

Elizabeth felt shocked. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that when she moved to New York City something this amazing could have occurred on such a short timeframe. That she had even landed a job at a place as wonderful as The Acorn had been exciting enough. But to be offered partnership in the restaurant? To grow and expand and learn with it? To pour her heart and soul into something she loved every day? Elizabeth simply couldn't turn that down.

"I feel like this is a dream. I would love to go into business with you two. This is honestly more than I could have ever hoped for."

Lizzy stepped forward and hugged Nancy, struggling to contain the emotions rising up in her chest.

"Thank you guys so much."

Nancy laughed "No. Thank YOU, Lizzy!"

Paul cleared his throat, interrupting the two women's embrace.

"We'll discuss particulars next week, after the weekend when it quiets down, if that's all right with you Lizzy?"

She nodded, feeling stunned.

"Of course."

"Well we'll let you get to work then. I'm glad this all went over so well." Paul said, "We'll be back tonight."

"Okay, see you guys then! Thank you again so much,"  
Elizabeth turned and put her hand on the door just as Paul turned around again.

"Oh! And I almost forgot! Your sister phoned today and made a reservation for four on your day off. She said you'd know all about it."

Shit. She'd forgotten. Jane had been trying to arrange for Elizabeth to meet her new boyfriend Charles over dinner for weeks, but Elizabeth's busy schedule at the restaurant combined with Jane's busy schedule at the clinic and Charles' busy schedule doing whatever he did…portfolio investments? Real estate development? Had resulted in no dinner thus far. Elizabeth had planned to spend her day off at the restaurant testing some new recipes where she would be able to oversee the kitchen, just in case anything happened. If she felt particularly relaxed, she would have left before closing and indulged in a bubble bath and then curled up with a good book or Netflix. Oh well. Jane seemed to really, really like Charles. She spoke about him with excitement and yearning and said his name as if it was the most precious and wonderful word her lips could possibly form. It had been a long time, if ever, that Jane had spoken about a man the way she spoke about Charles and Elizabeth was curious to meet the man who had managed to capture her big sister's attention so successfuly.

* * *

Darcy's head snapped up from the papers on his desk as the telephone rang. The clock on the wall read 10 am. He'd been at work for nearly three hours straight.

"Darcy speaking."

"Good morning Mr. Darcy," Maggie Reynolds voice came through the phone, cheerful and calm as usual.

"Mr. Bingley is here to see you."

"Send him in."

A moment later Bingley's tall, lean frame encased in a grey suit and accessorised with a light pink tie, appeared in his doorway. His strawberry blonde hair slightly windblown and his eyes excited. Darcy groaned.

"What do you want Charles?"

"We've finally managed to secure a reservation at The Acorn that we can all make, this Sunday!"

Shit. Darcy had completely forgotten about Bingley's latest love— a Josie or a Janelle or a Janette, Darcy could hardly remember her name as she was only the latest of Bingley's many infatuations and because Bingley had taken to primarily referring to her as "his angel". Well there went the relaxed evening he had planned to spend sipping scotch and going over the quarterly reports.

"The Acorn?"

"Yes!" Bingley said excitedly, walking with a decidedly annoying bounce in his step as he grinned happily and moved towards Darcy's desk.

"The restaurant that Jane's sister works at, it's fairly new."

Jane. Right.

"What time?"

"Seven." Bingley clasped his hands excitedly, looking earnest.

"Darcy I really think you're going to love it. It's casual yet sophisticated in its own way…and very unique! Jane assures me the food is absolutely delicious, and I was thinking that Jane's sister, her name is Elizabeth, could be exactly what we're looking for!"

Darcy rubbed his forehead, a lack of sleep and Bingley's excessive amount of energy giving him a headache. Charles sighed, noting his friends lack of enthusiasm.

"For our restaurant."

Darcy looked up at Bingley unamused

"Do you have any idea what her credentials are? Her experience? We're looking for a chef who understands the fine dining restaurant industry and is capable of presenting the kind of image required."

"No, but Jane says she's really quite good. Creative and really, really dedicated. She could be just what we're looking for!"

"I doubt that." Darcy replied in a bored tone of voice as he shifted the papers on his desk.

Bingley finally seemed to sober and turned to stand directly in front of Darcy's desk, placing his hands on its solid mahogany surface as if trying to give off an air of seriousness.

"Just promise me you'll come Sunday to give it a chance."

Darcy sighed again, reluctant to spend an evening getting to know a woman that was just another one of the entitled and unintelligent gold-digging harpies Bingley seemed to attract everywhere he went and dreading the set-down he would have to give Bingley after he confirmed that Bingley's angel was in fact, exactly like all the others before her.

"Fine, I'll be there but I'm making no other promises."

Hearing the words he had come for, Bingley stood with renewed energy and clasped his hands together, confident that one dinner at The Acorn would not only convince Darcy of his angel's divinity but also of her sister's capabilities.

"Perfect. You won't regret it Darce!"

Darcy sincerely doubted that, but wisely kept his mouth shut.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello again friends! Thank you for all your lovely reviews, they mean so much to me—especially as it was my very first post ever—and really encouraged me to finish this chapter! I originally aimed to post this much earlier but ended up struggling quite a bit with this section (I am writing it as I go, with only a vague outline in mind, perhaps that is a problem, but I am enjoying the excitement and uncertainty of it thus far!) Constructive criticism/feedback is welcome, of course!_

Thank you & enjoy!

 **Chapter Two**

Darcy awoke with a start on Sunday morning. Rolling over in bed he grabbed his watch off the bedside table and read the time. 7:04. He'd slept an hour and a half later than he'd meant to. Cursing he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, trying to place the source of the uneasy feeling resting low in stomach, as if waiting for the perfect time to rise and become a full-blown panic attack. Confused and slightly frustrated, Darcy swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. He didn't have anything particularly strenuous lined up for the day. In fact he barely had anything lined up at all. He'd get to the gym as soon as he could, work out for a few hours and then meet a potential investor for lunch. Maggie had sent him the details last night, he'd just have to look over them again to confirm the restaurant and the time. And then the dreaded dinner tonight at seven. Although meeting Bingley's latest woman was almost always entirely unpleasant, it was never a cause for anxiety and Darcy again puzzled at the unease he was feeling, discrete yet definitely present, as the warm spray of his shower massaged his neck and back. It was if his body was attempting to warn him of an impending danger his mind was yet unaware of.

* * *

Elizabeth stretched languorously in bed. She'd woken up forty-five minutes early, yet she felt completely well-rested and suspiciously content. Remembrance washed over her as she recalled her conversation with Paul and Nancy yesterday. A partnership! It still seemed like a dream—like it couldn't possibly be true—but it was, Elizabeth knew, as she remembered it with the precision and weight that only real life could be remembered with.

Pushing her brightly coloured duvet aside—another gift from her going away party—Elizabeth stood, feeling decidedly optimistic. After a quick jog around central park she would make herself a proper breakfast, the kind she rarely had time for anymore, and then head off to the restaurant for a couple of hours before returning to her apartment to get ready for dinner with Jane, Charles and Charles' mystery friend. It would be nice to get dressed up for once in something other than her habitual t-shirt and jeans. Who knew, maybe she'd even enjoy dinner. Jane spoke so highly of Charles, and even though her older sister had a tendency to refuse to see anything but the very best in people, she certainly wasn't stupid. She was a psychologist after all, and even though Elizabeth still held reservations about rich, wall-street, entrepreneurial types, she had a hard time believing that Jane could be so blindsided as to mistake an arrogant and selfish bastard with the Charles she described.

Two hours, one long run, a proper breakfast and hot shower later, Elizabeth arrived at The Acorn. She greeted Matt, a young college student who worked part time as a chef and who was currently busy washing mushrooms in the restaurants big, industrial sink.

"Hey Lizzy B! As you can see I've got everything under control!"

He grinned, intimately acquainted with Elizabeth's micro-managing propensities that were a product of her intense commitment to a smoothly running restaurant.

Matt was second in command, after herself, and showed lots of promise as a chef, although, like most college students was still unsure what it was he wanted to do with his life.

Elizabeth leaned over and made a show of inspecting the mushrooms, giving Matt her own impertinent grin.

"That you sure do. Is Nancy here?"

Matt nodded, turning back to the sink, "In the office."

Elizabeth thanked Matt and turned, making her way towards the restaurants office. She'd made a habit of talking to Nancy or Paul every morning as soon as she'd been promoted to head chef, checking if there was anything that needed to be done, any special considerations made or any news. Her morning communication sessions with the bosses kept everything running smoothly and insured that there were no surprises, just how Elizabeth liked it.

Knocking on the door lightly, Elizabeth paused for a second before hearing Nancy's voice welcome her in.

"Good morning Elizabeth!" Nancy smiled cheerfully, looking up and moving her papers aside.

"Beautiful out isn't it?"

Elizabeth nodded her head and sat down "Absolutely gorgeous."

Nancy removed her bright red glasses, letting them hang from the silver chain at her neck. "I suppose that by now it should be obvious that any attempt to persuade you to relax during your days off are completely fruitless."

Elizabeth smiled guiltily, "I just can't stay away. Besides, I love it here. It's therapeutic, a word I think many would associate with relaxing."

Nancy sighed in mock frustration and then reached across the desk and held Elizabeth's hands between her own.

"You work harder than anyone here Lizzy, and the results are amazing. I'm certainly not complaining about that, it's the reason Paul and I think a partnership with you would be so good. But I do want you to relax and enjoy yourself occasionally. It wouldn't be any good for anyone if you exhausted yourself." Nancy sighed again. "I suppose we'll have to discuss days off and vacation time in the partnership agreement….perhaps we can make them mandatory!"

Elizabeth laughed. "What's going on today? Anything I need to know about?"

"Not too much actually. It's a Sunday, so it'll be a little quieter of course. Paul and I are going have dinner with old friends tonight, so we won't be here. Deliveries, but you're familiar with those also…"

"And the electrician is still coming?"

Nancy brought a palm to her forehead "Yes! I knew there was something I was forgetting. He should be here in half an hour or so, he's replacing the front light. He might need to talk to you."

Nancy pulled out her day-planner, a black leather book that Paul made fun of for its old-school-ness in an age of cellphones and computers but that Nancy swore by and that was the blue-print for the day-to-day operation of The Acorn.

"And you have your dinner tonight! Promise me that you won't stay past…" Nancy glanced at the clock on the wall, "two o'clock. You'll be back here anyways tonight."

Elizabeth frowned, she wasn't preparing for a red-carpet event.

"Three thirty"

"Two-thirty." Nancy retorted, flipping her day planner shut as if to signal an end to the negotiations.

"I want you to enjoy your dinner tonight. Who's the fourth person? Somebody special you haven't told me about?"

Elizabeth laughed. "No, no. Jane said he's Charles best friend. You know, sister meets boyfriend, best friend meets girlfriend all in one go."

"Well, I'm excited for you both. Charles seems like such a nice man from what your sister says of him, and maybe you'll get along with his friend." Nancy smiled in a way that was meant to look sweet and unassuming but Elizabeth knew better. Shooting her an exasperated look Elizabeth stood.

"Oh I doubt that, I'm not particularly fond of those high-flying businessman types."

Nancy returned the day planner to its eternal home in the top center drawer of her desk and then also stood.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure. When I first met Paul, we had both just graduated from college. I'd studied liberal arts and wanted to be a sculptor. Make a go of it and open my own studio. Paul was a chemical engineer who had his sights set on climbing the corporate ladder of an oil company. I was sure there wasn't anything more mundane or less meaningful. I wanted to bolt right out of the blind date our friends had set up for us. By the end of dinner he seemed tolerable, barely, but I agreed to see him again. And look at us now!"

Elizabeth laughed, admitting to Nancy that it was indeed impressive.

"Sometimes the person who you are sure couldn't be more wrong for you ends up being the rightest person you ever met. Promise me you'll remember that."

Elizabeth fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"I'll remember Nancy."

Looking satisfied Nancy made her way towards the door.

"Two thirty Lizzy!"

"Yes Ma'am!" Elizabeth replied with a mock salute before making her way back to the kitchen.

After overseeing preparations in the kitchen, double checking the staff that was booked to work the lunch and dinner shifts, signing off on two produce deliveries and rushing out to procure an emergency supply of olive oil from the grocery store down the street when the restaurants regular olive oil delivery failed to arrive, it was nearing two thirty. Knowing Nancy would have her head if she didn't leave at the agreed upon time, Elizabeth left, knowing she could arrive at the restaurant before seven to satisfy her admittedly slightly OCD tendencies when it came to The Acorn.

Hours later, Elizabeth was standing in front of the full length mirror she had propped up against her living room wall, fussing with her hair. Her curls were behaving particularly badly today, and at last she gave up trying to tame them and opted for a loose bun, secured at the nape of her neck.

She smoothed her hands over the soft material of the black wrap dress she'd bought a couple weekends ago while shopping with Jane. Her older sister had insisted that it was extremely flattering and that it would be a crime not to buy it, and Elizabeth, in a moment of weakness had capitulated. Turning in the mirror, Elizabeth thought she might have to agree with Jane's earlier assessment. The material of the wrap dress was simultaneously forgiving and flattering, the right portion of the dress wrapping over the left portion, like a robe, forming a deep v-neckline which flaunted her ample cleavage while also allowing her to create a "false waistline" by securing the dress just below her breasts, in a bow off to the side, deemphasizing her curvier stomach. Elizabeth fiddled with the top portion of the dress, wondering if it was too sexy for the occasion but decided that the three-quarter sleeves and almost to-the-knee length of the dress, made up for the daring neckline and clingy fabric.

Slipping her feet into her favourite pair of shiny red heels and fastening a pair of square-cut glass earrings to her earlobes, Elizabeth took one last glance in the mirror and exited her apartment.

* * *

Darcy glanced at the lower far right corner of his computer screen for the time. 5:17. He glanced back to the document he was reading and sighed, sitting back in his chair. The feeling of uneasiness he had originally felt upon waking up had plagued him all day and to add to that he'd felt heavy and lethargic at the gym and been accosted by not one but two women at the lunch with his investor, something he usually managed to avoid with his stormy looks and off-standish body language. The first had been Caroline, Bingley's step sister, who had been driving by, spotted him, and—Darcy could only imagine—shrieked at her driver to stop the car so that she could proceed to make her way over to Darcy who was eating on the patio of La Bernardin, an upscale restaurant in Midtown. She then chattered on, seemingly endlessly, about the unpardonable dirt and grime found on New York City sidewalks and the strenuous nature of a day that consisted of a manicure-pedicure appointment, a social luncheon and shopping. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Darcy's notorious glare, that somehow managed to be discouraging without appearing outright rude, cut through Caroline's jabbering and sent her teetering on her four inch orange Louboutins back to her car.

Then, just as Darcy had shook hands with the investor—a Mr. Thomas Frederick—and congratulated himself on a job well done, he was approached by a slim blonde woman whom he immediately recognized as Kristen, a young woman from the well-established Oliver family in New York, whom he had dated briefly over ten months ago. She was impeccably dressed, as always, in a champagne coloured dress that showcased her slim frame and long legs. Her blonde hair shone in the early afternoon sun and her teeth sparkled white against her glossed lips as she smiled greeting him.

"Darcy."

Darcy nodded his head in return, willing his driver, Elson, to arrive. His relationship with Kristen had been brief and surface-level, like all of his relationships with women. He had long reconciled himself to the fact that a woman who loved him for _him_ rather than for the prestige of his name or the money in his bank account almost certainly did not exist, and that even if she did, it would take a lifetime of searching to distinguish her among the hordes of gold-digging women with social climbing ambitions. It was best not to get overly involved so he could stay reasonable and focused on things that required his undivided attention.

Kristen had served as his date to the obligatory social functions and they had slept together a few times in the three months before he had severed all ties. They had parted on amicable terms, her having understood the way Darcy operated from the beginning, but meeting her again, alone, seemingly randomly yet obviously orchestrated made Darcy feel both uncomfortable and annoyed.

"Kristen."

She tucked a piece of golden hair behind her ear and smiled brightly.

"How are you? It's been so long."

"Good. Good." Darcy knew the polite thing to do would be extend the question she had just offered him back to her, but he was hesitant to encourage any of her advances. Apparently not needing any encouragement, Kristen continued.

"I was just at the furniture store down the street checking out some new pieces."

Darcy made a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat, silently begging his driver to show up. He breathed out in relief as Elson rounded the corner ahead of them.

Kristen extended a perfectly manicured hand placing it on Darcy's arm, understanding her time was short.

"Anyways, I heard you're opening a restaurant. Definitely give me a call if you need any help with the design, special customers get a special discount!"

She then leaned over to kiss his cheek before turning and walking back in the direction she had come from. Darcy barely managed to resist the urge to wipe the gloss from his face until she was out of sight.

Massaging his temples Darcy made his way to the kitchen for a glass of water before proceeding to his bedroom. Charles had described the place as…how _had_ he described it? Casual yet sophisticated. That was it. How helpful. It was just like Charles, in a moment of excitement, to describe something in such a nonsensical and contradictory way. Sighing, Darcy opened his closet and examined its contents. Suits where definitely out, Darcy had gathered that much at least. Were jeans too informal? Shorts? Darcy glanced at his phone wondering if he should call Georgiana, his little sister and primary fashion consultant who always seemed to know just what each occasion warranted in terms of style. It was times like these where Darcy most keenly missed his sister's presence in New York. She had moved to California almost three years ago to study bioengineering, and would be entering her fourth and final year at Berkeley this September. Remembering her mentioning something about helping a friend move out (or in?) during their phone call yesterday, Darcy decided against calling her. He was already enough of an over-protective, omnipresent older brother as it was.

In the end, he settled on a pair of dark wash jeans, a black button down and his new brown dress shoes, a 29th birthday present from Georgiana. If he couldn't benefit from her fashion expertise tonight, the least he could do was wear the shoes she had bought him.

As it was now nearing six, Darcy decided that he'd read his Business Insider and drink some scotch until it was time to leave.

Darcy's car pulled up in front of The Acorn just in time to see Charles and his angel exit their car. Even in the dim light Darcy could make out her general features. She was clearly an attractive woman, perhaps around Charles age, that part was harder to tell from a distance, but she was tall, nearing 6 feet in her heels with a slender and graceful figure, long silky golden hair and a bright smile. Definitely a receptionist of some sort who probably worked part time as a sort of hobby alongside that of catching a rich husband. Perhaps a medical receptionist, Darcy mused. Her smile looked practiced, as if she used it to soothe nervous or anxious patients as they waited in the reception area before they went in to see the doctor. Would Charles ever learn? Darcy wondered, as he watched Charles fawning over Jane, offering her his arm as if they were attending the New York City Ballet. Oh well, Richard would say, _another day another fish to fry._ Or in Darcy's case, another day another debutante-fortune hunter to dispose of. Richard worked as a lawyer for Darcy's company, and would say this phrase whenever something particularly difficult or unexpected came up. It had always annoyed Darcy but lately he had found himself reciting it when he was feeling exasperated.

Bingley spotted him immediately and rushed over, still holding his angel's hand.

"Darcy! You had a nice drive over here? Not too far hey? And perfect timing! We can all go in together!"

He paused, remembering introductions.

"Jane this is William Darcy, my very best friend, we met back in college. Darce, this is Jane Bennet."

"Nice to meet you."

Jane beamed at him and extended her hand.

Darcy nodded, solemnly. Just as he had thought, flirting while still on Charles' arm.

"Pleasure's mine."

Inside the door there was already a line forming, so they were stuck waiting just inside the door as people waited to be seated.

"You'd think they'd have a better set up," Darcy grumbled,

"Anyone else shows up and they'll be waiting outside."

Bingley rolled his eyes, "Darcy! They just got a rush of customers! This is _authentic_ New York dining. This is what everyone is experiencing while you're busy fine dining on sea urchin and carrot tartare and god knows what else somewhere uptown! I, for one, think the atmosphere is amazing! Vibrant and dynamic."

He turned to Jane and kissed her cheek.

"I'm so glad you recommended it sweetheart."

Darcy had to stop himself from rolling his eyes and snorting. So Jane had her talons deeper into Charles than Darcy had originally anticipated. Well she was about to find out that Darcy never lost.

As they neared the front of the line, Jane grabbed Charles' arm and pointed, in as excited of a way as her calm and composed personality would allow, to the left side of the restaurant.

"There's Elizabeth! I knew she would arrive here early to check on things, she practically lives at the restaurant!"

Darcy usually could've cared less about who this Elizabeth was, but since they were standing in line with nothing else to do he glanced over to where Jane was pointing at a dark haired woman in a black dress and red heels.

Something about the highly feminine picture she presented caught Darcy off guard, though he didn't know what he'd been expecting or why he'd been expecting anything at all. Although something in his subconscious sparked upon seeing her, his experienced and critical eye immediately rushed to his defense, attempting to smother the spark and began to hone in on her obvious flaws. She was too heavy, her full figure a stark contrast to the willowy slimness that her sister possessed and that was so popular in the upper circles of society. Her hair was too dark and too curly, practically wild, and seemed to have a mind of its own, pieces escaping from the loose knot she had attempted to secure them in. Her manner was entirely unprofessional for the head chef of a restaurant, speaking enthusiastically with the waiting staff and rushing around performing menial tasks, such as gathering a stack of menus, jobs which were entirely inappropriate for someone of her position, even in a restaurant such as this. The head chef of a restaurant should convey a sense of calm luxury not of passionate excitement.

Yet he felt something tug at him, a dull sort of ache deep inside his chest to accompany the spark that had lit within the shadowy, lesser explored corners of his mind as he watched her from across the restaurant.

Charles saying his name brought him back to reality, and Darcy clamped down on the stirrings in his chest and mind. She was the exact opposite of the image Darcy and Bingley wished to present of their restaurant, and would certainly not do.

"Darcy! Would you prefer to sit by the window or outside on the back patio?"

"Outside."

Bingley smiled back at the woman gathering their menus.

"The back patio it is then!"

Just as they had made it to their table, Elizabeth arrived hugging her sister and warmly shaking Bingley's hand, apologizing for failing to greet them as soon as they arrived. She then turned to where Darcy was standing across the table and leaned over to shake his hand, giving him a moment to breathe in her flirty feminine scent, feel the warmness of her hand and catch a glimpse of her bright hazel eyes before again clamping down on his reactions and greeting her stiffly.

"Miss Bennet. Nice to meet you."

Elizabeth laughed.

"Call me Elizabeth, please! But if you must use a title, use Ms. Miss is simply too…missish!"

Darcy, somewhat taken back by her reaction, remembered back to when Georgiana had warned him that his profuse use of the old fashioned Mrs and Miss would get him into trouble with a woman one day. When Darcy had replied that it had never caused him any trouble yet, and so he could hardly see it doing so in the future, Georgiana had promptly snorted and told him he wasn't hanging around the right women.

Frowning, Darcy silently took his seat.

They ended up ordering a variety of dishes to share: olives marinated in oil spices and citrus peel served with freshly baked sourdough bread, caesar salad with kale and prosciutto wrapped bread sticks, roasted corn on the cob with a spicy creamy sauce lime juice and a crumbly cheese, maple glazed salmon cooked on a cedar plank, wild mushroom flat bread pizza with arugula and ricotta cheese, seared albacore tuna with mandarin orange and pickles, a fire cooked apple brown sugar and rum dessert pizza, spicy chocolate cremé brûlée, s'more donuts with moonshine caramel and a delicious made-in-house lemon-lime gelato.

Bingley praised each dish enthusiastically and Elizabeth deflected the praise modestly to the kitchen staff, the owners—anyone but herself. That, also, would not do, Darcy decided. It was essential that the chef be directly associated with the quality of the food. If people were to praise and celebrate the food, it was important that they see it as a product of the chef's creative genius and nothing else. This was how all of the most prestigious restaurants functioned.

As Darcy sat silently, enjoying the admittedly mouth-watering food, conversation swirled around him. Elizabeth and Jane had grown up in Austin, Texas with their two younger sisters, Mary and Kitty and—for part of their lives, their cousin Lydia. Their father had owned several stores that specialized in printing high quality images and framing art, their mother hadn't worked. Elizabeth amused Bingley with stories of her and Jane as children, with Jane interjecting every once in a while to add a part Elizabeth had forgotten or purposely left out.

In between bites and exclamations about the deliciousness of the food, Charles asked Elizabeth questions about herself.

Jane spoke so highly of her sister it was so wonderful to finally meet her! _Well, Elizabeth was flattered._ What had she studied in college? _Business management._ What had she done before she moved to New York City? _Sales for a construction company in Texas. Very boring but quite lucrative._ Did she have any pets? _An old dog, Nat, back in Austin, but, regretfully no pets here with her tiny apartment. Perhaps she'd get a cat._ How did she like New York City? _Loved it! The museums, culture, energy, central park and of course the food scene._ Bingley had heard she was a runner? _If a runner meant loving to run then yes. If it meant a greater than proficient skill level then no._ And yoga? _Yes she practiced that also from time to time._ And she was single, yes? _Yes._

With this, Bingley glanced over at Darcy meaningfully, only to catch him already staring at Elizabeth. He'd been silent for most of the meal, eating or distantly observing the goings on of the restaurant, but Bingley had been paying enough attention to catch the short moments where Darcy would stare intensely at Elizabeth from across the table when he thought she was distracted talking or eating.

In all honesty, Darcy was jealous of Bingley, who was gifted with the easy manners and welcoming attitude that made him so likeable and a superb conversationalist. Usually Darcy disregarded the differences between his and his friend's social skills, as although Bingley's open and friendly demeanor might make him easy friends, Darcy's demanded respect and warded off unwanted parasitic characters. However tonight Darcy found himself longing to speak with Elizabeth. To make her smile, laugh, blush. To have her bright, oh-so-fine eyes focsued on him. Instead all he could do was sit silently, as he knew any attempt to instigate a conversation on his part would be terribly awkward.

Jane's voice jolted Darcy from his stupor

"And what is it that you do, Will?"

Darcy was silent for a second before responding.

"Well, it's rather complex. Investments, primarily."

Jane nodded in a highly practiced manner, as if she found this information incredibly fascinating and couldn't wait to hear more. Ha! Darcy wanted to laugh out loud. She was so clearly an experienced mercenary, it was surprising even Bingley hadn't been able to spot it.

"And who do you work for?"

"I own Pemberley Investments."

"No way! The clinic I volunteer at receives a large annual donation every year from Pemberley Investments! It's a major player in keeping us afloat!" Jane exclaimed, adding as an after thought,

"I don't know if Charles told you, I'm a psychologist. We met at the gala raising money for an initiative the parent operative of the clinic I volunteer at started, action and awareness towards society's most vulnerable citizens with mental illnesses was the general issue."

A psychologist? Was this some sort of elaborate ploy?

"Jane's also working towards her PhD in social personality psychology at NYU!" Charles interjected proudly.

Darcy supposed that explained her practiced smile and the familiar manner with which she had asked him questions about himself. Her intentions towards Charles could still be impure Darcy reminded himself.

"Do you have a special interest in mental illness Will or is it just one of numerous charities you make generous donations to?"

Darcy thought he detected a flicker of amusement in Elizabeth's eyes, as if she was teasing him, but he couldn't be sure.

The sound of her saying his name, his real name, did something to Darcy and he overcompensated for the stirrings in his chest by offering her a brief, rather stiff, response.

"We donate to several charities annually. I have someone who oversees all donations made by the company. So no, no special interest."

Elizabeth nodded and Jane continued to ask Darcy several questions about Pemberley's donations, each which Darcy answered as briefly as possible, still thrown off from Elizabeth's question.

As the group was finishing up desert Elizabeth excused herself to use the ladies room with Jane following behind. As soon as the door closed behind them, Jane piped up.

"So, Lizzy, what do you think?"

Elizabeth turned to her sister smiling.

"I think Charles is absolutely lovely Janie. Very friendly, very handsome and _very_ rich!"

Jane swatted her sister's arm, "Oh do stop Lizzy! You know that's not why I like him!"

"Oh yes, I know, but isn't it a nice bonus?"

Jane simply shook her head while holding back giggles.

"Darcy must be practically made of money. The owner of Pemberley Investments—I still can't get over that!"

Elizabeth snorted sarcastically while toying with her hair in front of the mirror.

"I find it quite easy to believe actually. If his arrogance and superior attitude hadn't already tipped me off his complete lack of manners would've left no doubt!"

"Lizzy!" Jane admonished, turning to her sister.

"He's really not that bad. I think he's just shy—uncomfortable in social situations."

"Shy my ass! He's the owner of one of the biggest investment companies in the United States. Do you know how many people he probably has to talk to daily?! All the meetings, galas and social events he has to attend?!"

Jane sighed, adopting her psychologist voice. "It's common for people that are very competent and confident professionally to feel insecure and shy when it comes to more social situations.

Elizabeth smirked.

"This ain't my first rodeo Janie, and this time I ain't buying it!"

Jane's hand wavered, smudging her lipstick as she laughed.

"Please, dear lord, no 'ain't'. You're reminding me of Mom!"

"I've been practicing. Want to hear some more?"

Jane collapsed in another fit of giggles.

"No, please no more. Anyways, I have to use the washroom, then we should get back. They'll be wondering where we made off to."

Elizabeth grabbed her clutch off the counter top. "I'll make my way back right now so they don't think we've dined and dashed!"

As Elizabeth made her way towards the door Jane spoke.

"You know that not all men are like Ethan, Lizzy. You know that right?"

She spoke softly, knowing it was still a difficult subject for Elizabeth despite how she tried to hide it.

"I know Janie. But I'm not taking any chances with guys that seem suspiciously similar."

Jane sighed and nodded. It was natural that Elizabeth would need time before she was ready to jump back into the dating scene.

Elizabeth exited the washroom, deciding to take a roundabout route back to their table so that she could check on how things were going in the kitchen. After checking in with Matt, she made her way down the dark corridor that led out to their patio table. Since it was a warmer night, the windows were open and murmurs of people's conversations floated through the open windows. Just as she was about to round the corner back to their table, she paused, hearing her name.

"Elizabeth seems wonderful! She's so friendly and welcoming and you have to admit Darce, the food here is absolutely delicious! I think we should ask her."

There was a pause, as Elizabeth smiled and then held her breath. Ask her what? Then she heard Darcy's deep voice.

"Bingley please tell me you're joking. While I grant you, the food was better than I expected it's nothing special and more importantly Elizabeth simply doesn't fit the criteria we're looking for. She's a Texan for christ's sake, the way she handles the staff is entirely unprofessional and she doesn't look the part—she's not polished and she's simply too heavy. People don't want to eat at a restaurant they think will make them fat!"

"Well I think she's really quite accomplished..." Bingley rambled off but Elizabeth didn't hear anything he said. Tears pricked her eyes as she attempted to blink them back, feeling ridiculous. _Nothing special. Texan. Unprofessional. Not polished. Too heavy. Fat._

He might as well have been Ethan, shapeshifted and come back to haunt her just as she was fully beginning to get over him.

She counted to twenty, pulling herself back together before returning to their table. Jane arrived at the same time so there was no need for Elizabeth to say very much. Ten or so minutes later they all got up to leave, Charles offering a ride to Elizabeth as he was driving Jane home anyway. Elizabeth declined, saying she wanted to check on a few things in the back of the restaurant before leaving and that her apartment was in the wrong direction and a quick walk. Jane looked concerned but Elizabeth assured her that she'd wouldn't walk alone, and after giving her older sister and Charles a hug, they left.

In the kitchen clean-up was in full swing, everything was alreaduy taken care of. She just needed to sit for a moment and the quiet walk home would help her to clear her brain. She sat down removing her heels and rubbing her feet as she tried to place the emotion she was feeling. Really, she should be ecstatic—satisfied at the very least. She had been right. William Darcy was exactly like Ethan. They were both arrogant businessmen who felt themselves to be superior to her unpoised and fat self. Instead, what she really felt was something akin to disappointment. Although she had held on tightly, one could almost say desperately, to her reservations against men that held jobs like Charles, Will—and Ethan for that matter—prior to the dinner, Charles had been so genuine and friendly and though Will had seemed a little tense, he hadn't been outright rude, complementing the food, and listening, if not participating, in the conversation surrounding him.

Elizabeth sighed, emotionally drained, and glanced at the clock on the wall. It read 9:47. She should get home if she wanted to be fresh for opening preparation Monday morning. Slowly slipping back into her heels and grabbing her clutch she wished Matt and the rest of the staff a good night before heading out the back door.

She had just turned onto the main sidewalk when a dark silhouette materialized from the shadows of The Acorn. Startling, Elizabeth's brain scrambled to remember the basics of self defense. She had her apartment keys in her clutch…her heels would certainly hinder her but as long as she managed to go for the sensitive areas…the groin, eyes, nose…screaming was also always an option. Just as she was preparing to scream, keys clutched in hand, the figure stepped farther out into the dim glow of the streetlamp.

"You shouldn't be walking home alone at this time."

Elizabeth sighed out a combination of relief and frustration. As if this evening couldn't get any worse, now Will Darcy was jumping out of shadowy corners to critisize her judgement.

"I thought you left with Jane and Charles."

Darcy shook his head

"I was waiting for you inside the lobby area. It's much too dangerous for a woman to be walking alone at this time of night. Besides, you told your sister you wouldn't walk alone."

"A woman?"

Now that Elizabeth knew what Will really thought of her, she made no attempt to appear polite.

"Yes. A woman. Please. At least let me drive you home." Noting her unimpressed expression he added as an afterthought,

"If only for my own peace of mind."

Elizabeth shifted her weight from one foot to another,

"I walk home alone at this time and later ones all the time. So if you'll excuse me,"

Elizabeth proceeded to walk quickly by him. She'd thought she'd made a successful escape until she heard the thud of heavy shoes against the pavement and turned back to see Darcy jogging after her.

"I told my car to follow us. I'll walk with you."

Seeing no reasonable escape, Elizabeth resigned herself to the fact that sometimes the only way out was through.

There was a short silence before Darcy cleared his throat.

"Dinner today was delicious. Very delicious. Better than I expected." He glanced quickly at her "Not that I didn't expect it to be good."

Elizabeth murmured in recognition that she'd heard him but otherwise remained impassive.

"I didn't know your sister was a psychologist."

"Clearly. I saw your shocked expression. Let me guess, you thought she spent her days lunching and shopping with the occasional spa treatment."

Darcy chuckled, glad to have extracted a response from her while Elizabeth turned in surprise at the warm, rich sound of his laughter, that melted, if only for a moment, his cold and stiff demeanor.

"Bingley tends to attract those types and I'm afraid sometimes he has to be called off."

"Called off?" Elizabeth asked incredulously,

"He's a grown man! He must be 30! Surely he is capable of making his own decisions and judgements."

"Yes, well, sometimes his nature is too friendly and welcoming to see the impure intentions those around him have."

Elizabeth nodded, supposing that dating was a tricky business for rich, well-established men like Bingley and Darcy. Forgetting for a moment what she had overheard earlier this evening, she spoke up.

"That's like Jane too. Always seeing the best in people."

They were silent for some time after that, walking nearly a block before Darcy spoke.

"Bingley—Charles" he corrected himself, "And I have been thinking of opening a restaurant. Bingley was convinced that you would be the perfect person to work as a chef—to help develop the menu and then stay on as a chef sort of deal."

He paused before continuing confidently.

"I was skeptical, and to be quite honest, against the idea, for obvious reasons including that I knew nothing about you. You have zero of the qualifications usually required and will need quite a bit of guidance and supervision, especially initially, because of your lack of experience. Cooking for a fine-dining establishment requires a certain finesse that you don't have as well as a certain polished _personal_ presentation that is absolutely paramount."

Elizabeth reeled in shock. He stressed the word _personal_ as if to suggest this was the biggest, of her many failings.

"I am confident, however, that once these issues are taken care of, you could, indeed, be a suitable choice."

Silence stretched between them as Elizabeth fought for mental clarity from the confusion and insult she was currently feeling.

Darcy held back a smile, knowing what a surprise his offer must have come as to Elizabeth. He swelled with pride and contentment to offer this woman he hardly knew yet was certain was unlike any woman he had ever met before, such an opportunity, one that would grant her access to her grandest ambitions.

Elizabeth's next words could not have come as more of a shock.

"I thank you for your generous offer, but I must decline."

It was Darcy's turn to reel in shock. Was she crazy? This must be some kind of joke.

"Are you serious?"

Elizabeth nodded curtly and continued to walk at a brisk pace.

"And this is the entirety of your explanation? That you would reject my offer with a lack of even an attempt at civility is shocking."

At this Elizabeth stopped abruptly, spinning on her heel angrily.

"What I find shocking is that you require an explanation at all! Your behavior from the beginning of the evening was questionable at best. You behaved stiffly, making little to no attempt to engage either me or my sister in conversation and spent most of your time staring boredly into space. But even that I could've overlooked as shyness or as Jane attempted to justify it, as some sort of strange psychological condition many successful people are challenged with. But then you proceed to offer me a prestigious position while simultaneously insulting everything from my lack of finesse in cooking to my lack of personal polish under the thin and faulty guise of oh-so-charitably providing me with much-needed guidance. But the guise was completely unnecessary! Because I already knew exactly what you think of me! You think the food at my restaurant is nothing special and that I'm unprofessional, unpolished and fat to boot! So excuse me if I don't want to accept your offer."

With this she turned around and walked quickly down the sidewalk, away from him.

Will paled, standing frozen on the sidewalk. How had she heard him? He had been sure it had been just him and Bingley. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to stop the wave of guilt that seemed about to crest over him. He hadn't said anything that was strictly untrue, but he regretted the way he had said it—with a complete lack of the manners that had been instilled in him his entire life. Manners he took great pride in.

Rubbing his neck, Darcy walked dazedly towards his car which was waiting just up the street. He paused before opening the door to the backseat, not feeling quite right about leaving Elizabeth to walk the last couple blocks back to her apartment alone. In the end, though, his embarrassment combined with his certainty that Elizabeth would not appreciate an entourage, caused him to direct Elson to drive back home.

As his car pulled into the underground parking lot below his building, Darcy couldn't help but wonder if the uneasiness he had been feeling all day was connected to the disastrous nature of the dinner. Or perhaps to the unexplainable fascination and illogical tug he felt towards Elizabeth Bennet. As if his subconscious had been trying to warn him of an impending danger indeed.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello all! After a_ _ **very**_ _long hiatus I am back. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! I originally meant for the chapter to cover more, but the ending seemed natural so I left it there. Constructive criticism/feedback is always welcome and reviews are so exciting so please leave one if you have the chance!_

 _Thank you!_

 _xoxo_

 **Chapter Three**

Only after opening the door to his apartment and throwing his coat down on the sofa did Darcy begin to worry about Elizabeth's safety. He should have never left her to walk alone, despite how angry she had been with him. There were numerous creeps and criminals on the loose in New York at any given time, nevermind the fact that it had been nearing 10pm. He should have followed her discretely from a distance in his car to ensure her safety. He tried to push these thoughts from his mind. She'd walked home alone many times before, as she'd said herself. There really was likely nothing to worry about.

Despite these attempts at self-assurances, upon arriving at his office the next morning he promptly phoned Charles to confirm that Elizabeth had in fact arrived safely back at her apartment the previous night.

Darcy wished to resolve the matter as quickly as possible so he could move on with his day, and likewise his workweek, absolved of the guilt and worry he was currently feeling. For once Darcy sincerely hoped that Charles was still in bed-as he often was when Darcy called early in the morning-and that his tired and foggy mind would let Darcy off the hook without questions such as _Didn't you walk her home last night? Why are you asking_ me _if she got home safely?_

Therefore, as soon as Charles picked up the phone, murmuring a sleepy hello, Darcy spoke, his tone abrupt and business-like.

"Charles. I'm phoning to confirm Elizabeth got home safely last night?"

There was a pause.

"Elizabeth?"

"Yes, Elizabeth." Darcy said, sitting back in his chair and hoping Charles wouldn't ask any questions. Hearing some murmurings he could only assume that Charles was with Jane. Dammit. This would make the chances of him evading some unpleasant questions a lot less likely.

"Didn't you walk her home last night? Jane said Lizzy texted her shortly before going to bed, around 11:30."

Darcy breathed a sigh of relief and straightened in his chair. She was safe. He still couldn't believe he'd been so foolish as to let her walk home alone, argument or not.

"It's a long story Charles. I have to go, I'll talk to you later."

If he had thought that being reassured of her safety would absolve him of the guilt he was feeling, Darcy was sorely mistaken.

Although the week following the "incident" at The Acorn was a fairly typical work week for Darcy, moments of guilt peppered with feelings he couldn't quite place continued to ambush him. He followed his regular rigorous schedule: waking up early, exercising, eating breakfast and catching the business news all before making it to the office before 8. Then he attended board meetings, meetings with clients, meetings with prospective clients and read files and emails until around 5 o'clock when he would walk home, go for a run through central park, eat dinner, phone Georgiana, work some more and finally, if he had time, enjoy a glass of scotch and watch the news before bed. It was in the transient moments between the events of his meticulously scheduled and religiously carried out daily routine that Darcy felt Elizabeth's accusatory words bother him.

Darcy was nearing thirty-one and as a man who was both wealthy and handsome, he had certainly had his share of women pursue him, the vast majority of which held no interest for him, particularly when it seemed that they cared only for his bank account and name. Despite this, he had always believed in the importance of remaining collected and civil, no matter what the circumstance. He knew numerous men in positions similar to his who enjoyed directing obscene and licentious remarks towards those they perceived below them, a habit Darcy had always viewed with disdain and disgust, thinking himself well above offensive remarks and so-called 'low-blows.'

Although his recent altercation with Elizabeth Bennet seemed to indicate otherwise, a fact that was gnawing at Darcy's conscious as of late, he was presently unwilling to contemplate the implications of this.

What he did know was that, had his mother or father been alive and present to witness his behaviour they would have not only been mortified but also ashamed. Both of his parents had been born into wealthy families, his mother an English heiress who had met his father while attending Juilliard and his father's family wealthy and established American investment bankers and real estate tycoons, yet they had always impressed upon him the importance of not only the external quality of good manners, but also of the more internal qualities of respect and good character.

By Wednesday Darcy felt he had wallowed enough and needed to apologize to Elizabeth and clear the air between them. If Jane and Charles were to continue dating, they would certainly be seeing more of each other and he couldn't imagine facing her again without first apologizing. After managing to finagle her phone number from Charles Darcy had to only wait until 10 o'clock when he hoped she'd be done work and pick up her phone.

She picked up on only the second ring, catching Darcy somewhat off guard.

"Hello?"

Darcy cleared his throat.

"Hello. Elizabeth?" There was a brief pause and then,

"Yes. Who is this?"

Darcy cleared his throat again, suddenly nervous and wondering why he hadn't prepared something to say.

"It's Will. Uh, Will Darcy. I was hoping you had just a minute of your time to talk to me. I'm unhappy with how we left things when we last talked and if Jane and Charles are to continue dating I presume we will be seeing more of each other so I figured we should clear the air." Darcy rushed this little speech, worried she would hang up on him before he could finish.

"And I wanted to apologize." Darcy added quickly.

"That's the first thing I wanted to do actually. I'm sorry you heard what I said…my words were unwarranted."

Rather proud of his impromptu apology and the way in which he perceived himself to have taken full responsibility for his actions that night, Darcy paused awaiting Elizabeth's response. When she didn't respond immediately Darcy felt embarrassment creeping in and beginning to increase with each passing second.

"Do you usually speak that way towards women? Discuss them as if they are some sort of stock you might like to purchase? Criticizing their abilities, their job, their behaviour, their appearance? You know, despite what you might like to delude yourself into thinking, we don't breathe to please you!"

Darcy frowned deeply and stood up from his spot on the sofa to pace near the window, fearing this conversation wasn't going over as smoothly as he had hoped it would.

"No, no, I assure you I do not. I take-"

He was cut off as Elizabeth angrily interrupted.

"So just with me then, huh?"

"No. I assure you, I do not usually act or speak in...such a way. It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. As I said it was unwarranted. I can offer no good explanation except perhaps that I am used to being unrelentingly pursued by women who are often interested only in the….material benefits that would come with being associated with me and I believe I have become rather...cynical over the years."

"Cynical? I mean maybe you are but when I think of you there are other words that come more immediately to mind: demeaning, offensive, judgemental, sexist, plain rude!"

Darcy cringed, wondering if he was worsening the situation and trying not to think too deeply about these words being applied to his person. Perhaps this would be irresolvable and it would be best to just try and wrap it up before it got more out of hand.

"Again, Elizabeth I just phoned to apologize. If there is anything I can do to make it up to you, please let me know."

Elizabeth snorted loudly through the phone.

"Oh, please. I don't want anything from _you._ In fact I'd be happy if I never met another man like you again in my life. I know it may be difficult for you to comprehend, but I honestly could care less about you or your money or your big fancy name."

Darcy rubbed his eyes. _Another man like you._ What did that even mean?

"Elizabeth I know maybe you don't believe it but I am truly sorry. I hope you can accept my apology and that we can remain civil for the sake of Charles and Jane."

Elizabeth sighed, feeling exhausted, as if the flame of her anger had been suddenly snuffed out. She still felt incredibly annoyed at Darcy. Although he seemed somewhat genuine in his apology, she had a hard time believing a man who would say such harsh things about someone who he had only just met could really be a good and genuine person.

"William, I just want to remind you that before we met and before you completely insulted me, I was perfectly ready to be _more_ than civil to you. Jane had been absolutely gushing about Charles for over a month now, something she would never do unless she really, really liked him and since you are apparently his best friend I assumed you would be very nice too. I was ready to meet with some _nice_ people for a _nice_ dinner and hopefully make some _nice_ friends. Well obviously that didn't happen and it's thanks to you, so please, I'm not even that angry anymore, but please save the 'I hope we can remain civil for Charles and Jane' for someone else."

There was a brief pause where neither of them spoke. Elizabeth took a long, deep breath that Darcy heard through the phone and then continued.

"All of that being said, while I most certainly do not _wish_ to be in your company any more than is absolutely required of me, I can recognize that Charles and Jane's relationship is progressing rather quickly and we might be together on more than one occasion in the future. So yes, I hope _you_ can manage to remain civil with me whenever these occasions come about."

Darcy felt his annoyance growing. He'd already apologized multiple times, he'd tried to explain himself, he'd asked her what he could do to make it up to her...he couldn't remember the last time he'd apologized so completely and profusely! He couldn't remember the last time someone had berated him in such a manner.

"I assure you I will be able to remain civil Elizabeth."

He said stiffly, his words coming out somewhat frostier than he had intended.

"Good. Then I guess we have nothing left to discuss." Elizabeth curtly replied, wishing to end their conversation as soon as possible.

"Alright. Goodnight Elizabeth."

Darcy waited for a moment before hearing the click of the phone, signaling Elizabeth had hung up.

A large portion of the guilt and remorse Darcy had felt before the phone call was now resentment and annoyance towards Elizabeth. What more could he have possibly done? Beg and plead with her? A little voice in the back of his head suggested that he could have never insulted her to begin with but he promptly shut it up. There was no point in thinking of what ifs at this point anyways.

Besides the personal feelings involved, the call had cemented a practical fact: they were going to have to begin to seriously search for a chef for the restaurant. Bingley would likely be disappointed that Elizabeth had declined their offer and it would be best if Darcy could scrounge up a list of potentials before he was forced to disclose Elizabeth's rejection to Bingley so that they could move on to the next thing as soon as possible.

This issue was brought up sooner than Darcy anticipated as the next morning Charles called Darcy with two purposes in mind. Firstly, a personal one, to invite Darcy to a brunch he and Jane were hosting on Saturday so that she could meet his family and friends and secondly, a work-related purpose to check on the progress of the restaurant and on Lizzy's status on the position they'd offered her.

Upon informing Charles that Elizabeth has rejected their offer-he neglected to inform Charles exactly how he had come to (twice) offer and she had come to (twice) reject the position-Charles, in a rare moment of objective entrepreneurial rationale said,

"Perhaps it's for the best. Not mixing family and business and all that." There was a pause before Charles caught himself.

"Friends! Not mixing friends and business…."

Darcy couldn't help but attempt to contain a wry smile,

"Yes Charles. I think you're absolutely right. I already am building a list of some other potential candidates you can check out, I'll send it to you later today."

* * *

Later that night Jane phoned Elizabeth, for their habitual Wednesday-night talk. Although the sisters talked multiple times throughout the week via texts, social media and phone calls, Wednesday night they each set aside a few hours to just talk to each other and catch up.

In the days following Sunday's events, Elizabeth had debated as to whether or not she should reveal what had happened. On one hand this particular confrontation had involved a man, albeit indirectly, with whom Jane was quickly falling in love as well as the fact that Darcy's words had truly injured Elizabeth, and Jane, being a psychologist, always seemed to be able to calmly reason through any situation. On the other hand Lizzy was abhorrent to do anything to upset the fragile balance of Charles and Jane's young relationship.

In the end Elizabeth decided to tell her. There would be no point in hiding what had happened only for it to come out later. Furthermore, Lizzy felt that this was probably something Jane should and would want to be aware of.

When Elizabeth first disclosed to Jane what she had overheard, Jane was furious. William's offstandish body language and short, succinct replies had been one thing, but to personally insult Lizzy was too much.

After assuring her, multiple times, that Charles had had only positive things to say about both the restaurant and Lizzy herself, Jane calmed down somewhat but was still fuming over how such a seemingly sweet, kind and all-around decent guy like Charles could be friends with an arrogant bastard like William Darcy.

"And Charles wanted me to remember to invite you to brunch on Saturday! It's apparently something they do lot as a family. But of course Will is included….I can't believe this Lizzy, I really can't. I know you told me not to go off on Charles, and I promise I won't, but he has some serious explaining to do!"

Elizabeth smiled at her sister's protectiveness.

"Honestly Jane, I wish you wouldn't. Charles really isn't to blame, he truly only said nice things and in fact he defended me! I can tell he cares so much about you. I'll come to your brunch even if William does show up, we did agree to be civil with one another after all, and we can only hope that Charles' family is more amiable."

After reassuring her that if Elizabeth wanted to cancel out at the last minute Jane would cover for her, the sisters said their goodbyes and hung up.

* * *

Despite Lizzy's pleads to not bring up the conversation Lizzy had overheard between Darcy and Charles, Jane couldn't help herself. She was falling faster for Charles than she ever had for any other man and was developing feelings that were far more deeply rooted than those of her previous relationships. He was picking her up at work, they were spending nights at each others apartments and now they were hosting a brunch together so that she could meet his closest friends and family. The psychologist in her knew that she simply couldn't afford not to ask questions.

So when Charles picked her up from work Thursday afternoon to spend the night at his apartment, Jane took the chance to question him about Darcy and Elizabeth.

"Charles…" Jane started off cautiously, attempting to figure out how she should navigate this very delicate conversation.

"Yes love?" Charles replied, glancing over at her in the passenger's seat and taking one hand off the wheel to squeeze her hand.

"Remember when we went out for dinner at The Acorn with Lizzy and Darcy on Sunday night?"

"Yes of course. Last Sunday."

Charles said, glancing over at her again, a questioning look in his eyes.

Jane took a deep breath and decided to plunge right in and get it over with.

"Well that night, after Lizzy and I went to the washroom, she overheard a conversation between you and Darcy on her way back."

Charles shifted in his seat stiffly, his face going rigid as Jane went on.

"And he said some things...well you know what he said. And then after we left, when he attempted to walk her home, they had some….words." Jane finished lamely.

Feeling a fresh swell of anger rise up in her upon recounting the events Jane spoke with renewed passion.

"Charles how could you? How could you bring your friend out for dinner with me and my sister- my _sister_ \- knowing how completely rude and offensive he is? Attempting to comprehend how you and him are even best friends is almost impossible for me but I simply cannot fathom in any way, shape or form why you would think it appropriate to then bring him around me and my sister without any kind of warning whatsoever!"

During her speech Jane had tore her hand out of Charles', leaving his rejected hand lying limp in his lap.

"Jane, Jane, darling please. I understand how this comes across to you but please try and understand-"

Jane was a psychologist. She listened to people discuss their lives and their relationships and their problems. She spent hours every single day listening to her clients talk, patiently waiting for them to finish, and then provided them with well-thought out, reasonable, educated and scientifically-based counsel.

However, in this situation she couldn't help but abruptly interrupt Charles.

"Understand what Charles? He really hurt Lizzy! You don't know everything she's been through these past years! And for him to say that to her!"

Jane exclaimed, now on the verge of tears.

"I know, I know darling…" Charles said, backing into a parking spot underneath his building and cursing Darcy's difficult disposition while a tremor of horror surged through his body at the sound of Jane's tearful voice.

"Jane love, I know you are upset for your sister, as am I. His behaviour was unpardonable. I will have to speak with him about it. It's just that Darcy had a very blunt and direct way of dealing at work and I think that sometimes these attitudes and habits carry over into his personal life. He's been alone since he was 22 when his father died. Georgiana was only 13 at the time. He was instantly effectively in charge of a multi-billion dollar company, something he had to manage while finishing law school and figuring out how to raise Georgiana. A lot of people tried to take advantage of him during that time, many persist in trying even now, even those close to him…."

Charles trailed off, not entirely sure how to finish his little speech.

Darcy's behaviour had undoubtedly been completely offensive and inappropriate yet he was unsure of how to explain _years_ of knowing a man who was, at the heart of it, an honest and steadfast friend, to Jane in a matter of minutes.

"I know you don't want to hear this right now but he really does have a good heart. It's just tough to see sometimes. I'm not saying his behaviour wasn't abhorrent because it most certain was," he quickly repeated, glancing nervously over at Jane.

"And I shall make _sure_ to have a serious conversation with him on the subject before Saturday."

By this time they were exiting the elevator and walking towards Charles' apartment.

Jane was silent for a few moments as they crossed the threshold of the apartment. Charles eyed her nervously, afraid of provoking what, up until now he had only known to be the sweetest and most lovely creature he had ever laid eyes upon.

Jane, for her part was feeling mixed emotions. She was- in part due to her profession and in part due to her natural and unshakable disposition-particularly susceptible to feeling compassion and empathy to the woes of others. At the same time she was still feeling upset on behalf of her sister who had suffered her own hardships and betrayals in the not-so-distant past.

"Fine Charles." Jane said rather harshly, setting her bag down with a loud thump on the small table adjacent to the door and causing Charles to flinch so slightly it was almost imperceptible.

"But if he says or does one thing to suggest that he does not have the utmost of respect for Lizzy, I swear to God…." she trailed off, not bothering to finish her sentence as she felt that the implication was clear.

"I promise." Charles said, relieved as he felt blood rush back to his face.

"I promise you Jane." He repeated, clasping his hands together as if in prayer and then letting them fall to his sides awkwardly.

Despite the acute anxiety it had given him, Charles had to admit that anger was most definitely becoming on Jane. Before their little argument, if one could even call it that, he'd only ever witnessed her speak in a calm and collected tone that had been carefully perfected over her years of both training and practicing as a psychologist.

Even during sex, while she had been reciprocative and clearly enjoyed herself, she had remained his sweet and gentle Jane.

The raw passion that had transformed her usually clear blue eyes into magnificent, storming seas, the delicious pink blush that was now staining her porcelain cheeks and that had seemed to flush upwards from its source at her impassioned and most generous heart to the tops of her breasts, peeking out of her blue-pastel blouse, her neck and finally her face was beautiful. Charles could only imagine what this newly-discovered passionate Jane would be like in bed, the thought sending a new wave of desire surging through him and urging him to close the space between them and kiss her savagely while he carried her off to his bedroom. _Their_ bedroom.

Charles almost didn't know what was happening when Jane began to slowly walk towards him, caressing him with eyes full of fires only partially doused. She stopped right in front of him and without breaking eye contact placed the palm of her hand on one of his cheeks and leaned in for a kiss.

Relief flooded his body at Jane's physical demonstration of her forgiveness and Charles fought to resist the temptation to crush her to his body in a tight hug while professing his gratitude over and over again.

He managed to stay relatively still as Jane gently caressed his lips with hers, lightly running her tongue over his teeth and sending shivers of pleasurable anticipation up his spine. When he attempted to deepen the kiss, Jane leaned back, pressing a firm hand against his chest, and for a second Charles froze, paralyzed by the fear that Jane hadn't really forgiven him at all and that any moment she would renounce her divine pardon and leave his life forever.

These fears were quickly put to rest as Jane, her eyes continuing to caress the contours of Charles' body underneath his charcoal suit, moved to slide his jacket from his shoulders, placing it carefully on the table text to them. She then placed light kisses against the column of his throat as she slowly unbuttoned his crisp pinstriped dress shirt. Next, she dropped to rest herself on her heels and looking up at him undid his belt, pulling it slowly away from his pants before throwing it carelessly to the side. Finally, still on her heels, she flicked open the button of his pants, and grasping the waistband of both his boxers and pants in her hands, proceeded to slide them down, careful to accommodate for his now throbbing erection. After untying his shoes and removing his socks Jane rose back up to her full height.

"Charles love," she said, slowly moving to unzip her own skirt, revealing white lacy underwear and causing Charles to clench his fists tightly while biting down on his lip.

"You _have_ given me a very _sweet_ apology. But, you have yet to _really_ make up for your naughty behaviour."

With this she shrugged out of her blouse and stood, appraising a completely nude Charles in nothing but her heels and a few scraps of very expensive white lace.

Charles heart was pounding, likely faster than it ever had before. In fact, had he been in full command of his senses, he would have perhaps thought to worry over whether or not he could suffer a heart attack in his present state. But given that his mind was more pleasantly occupied, the thought didn't cross his mind.

"Hmmm?" Jane said, moving closer to grasp his erection firmly in her hand while guiding him backwards towards the bedroom, not truly expecting any kind of a response from a now completely silent but obviously attentive and eager Charles.

"I think some reparations are in order Mr. Bingley."


	4. Chapter 4

_This is a short chapter but hope you enjoy. More to come soon. Promise! -xoxo_

 **Chapter Four**

Saturday morning Lizzy woke up early, feeling remarkably refreshed and struggling to recall why she felt plagued with a sense of dread until she remembered that Charles and Jane's brunch was today and that, more likely than not, a certain gentlemen would be present.

Attempting to shake these negative feelings, Lizzy decided that she'd make some coffee and then do some yoga in her apartment before heading over to Charles' to help him and Jane with brunch preparations.

Perhaps the yoga and coffee combined would grant her the strength to get through another encounter with William Darcy.

* * *

Two hours later, after some yoga, coffee, and a hot steamy shower, Elizabeth arrived at Charles' apartment. Upon passing through the door, Elizabeth could immediately understand why Jane had been spending so much time here. While Jane's salary as a psychologist certainly afforded her a _nice_ apartment, it was nothing compared to the sprawling luxury of Charles'. Dark, shiny hardwood floors were offset by a bright white chef's kitchen, while floor to ceiling windows flooded the space with natural light. The furniture in the living area was sleek and modern, if a tad masculine, and clearly high-quality. A short tour revealed that the apartment boasted not only an impressive kitchen and living-room space but also a spacious bedroom, a shower with jets that sprayed from all angles, a jacuzzi tub, workout room and spacious guest suite. The tour had Lizzy thinking sardonically that perhaps she _could_ be a little more interested in a certain kind of man than she had passionately declared to Darcy almost a week smirked at the thought.

After her brief tour, Lizzy got down to work with Jane and Charles. Jane who was, perhaps understandably, a great deal more nervous than Charles, was already fluttering nervously around the kitchen in her pale-blue shift dress, despite the fact that the guests were not to arrive for a good two hours.

After tying the apron Charles had supplied her with over her jeans and black blouse, Lizzy got to work mixing the batter for the pumpkin loaf while Charles and Jane chopped and mixed the various fillings for the breakfast tacos they were going to serve. They worked in silence for the most part, listening to a playlist off of Charles' phone which contained a surprisingly eclectic array of songs from Bob Dylan to Beyonce. After two songs from the _Fifty Shades of Grey_ soundtrack played in succession, Lizzy teased Charles, causing him to blush a shade of red that rivaled his hair. At Lizzy's teasing Jane came up behind him, winding her arms around his waist and giggling.

"What can I say? My man has a _wide array_ of tastes…."

This particular comment caused Charles to blush even more profusely as Jane affectionately patted his bottom and planted a kiss on his cheek before moving back to her side of the kitchen.

Lizzy, who, for Charles' sake had pretended not to notice their little encounter smiled inwardly. Jane was without a doubt the sweetest, most authentic person Lizzy knew, but she was often hesitant to express her deepest emotions, especially romantic ones, and was rarely overly demonstrable. Charles Bingley seemed to be changing all that, something that Lizzy couldn't help but feel glad about.

At around 10 o'clock, an hour before the guests were to arrive, the doorbell rang. Jane turned to Charles in a panic, wondering why anyone would be arriving an entire hour early.

"Don't worry, it's probably just Darcy. He said he might come by earlier."

Charles said casually, wiping his hands on a dishcloth as he moved to buzz Darcy up.

Jane quickly turned her attention from Charles to Lizzy, wondering how her sister would take this new bit of information.

Lizzy looked up from the pumpkin seeds she was carefully sprinkling on top of the unbaked loaf and smiled amusedly at Jane.

"Jane, relax. I'm perfectly fine, I assure you." She said in a hushed tone as Charles walked to open the door.

"I'm _very_ focused on cooking!" she said laughingly before sliding the pumpkin loaf into the oven.

Despite Elizabeth's serious misgivings about William Darcy's character, a combination of her early morning coffee and yoga session, seeing her sister so deliriously happy and most certainly in love with Charles and the fact that she was in the middle of her favourite activity, had significantly brightened her mood to the point where she felt prepared to greet Darcy with a friendly smile.

Thus, upon turning around and seeing him standing on the other side of the island, holding a bouquet of red and pink tulips while conversing casually with Charles and wearing jeans and a soft navy-blue t-shirt, a sharp stab of arousal shot through her before she could quickly lower her gaze and clamp down on it.

After devoting her complete attention to slicing the grapes for her fruit salad into perfect halves for nearly a minute, Elizabeth felt it was safe to look up again.

She managed to smile warmly at him upon finding his piercing gaze already fixed on her.

"Hello William."

"Elizabeth." He replied, rather stiffly, his left hand clenched and then relaxed, hanging at his side.

"How are you?" She continued cheerily, enjoying his obvious discomfort.

He looked surprised at her question but quickly composed himself although his voice still sounded rather stiff and awkward.

"Good. And I trust you are well also?" Elizabeth smiled at the formality of his words and tone. _Very_ uncomfortable.

"I am, I am. Thankyou." She said, deciding to leave it there as she pushed the grapes off of the cutting board and into the glass bowl beside her. A moment passed before either of them spoke.

"Uh, is there anything I can help you with?" Darcy asked hesitantly.

Elizabeth quickly deliberated whether he would be more uncomfortable standing awkwardly amidst all the activity of the kitchen or performing a menial domestic task such as chopping fruit. She decided to test as to whether or not his offer of assistance was in earnest.

"You can finish cutting this cantaloupe and pineapple right here, if you want. That would be very helpful."

She said, moving out of his way so he could take her place.

As much as she didn't care for the man, she had to admit that she was getting an absurd amount of pleasure out of seeing him- handsome, ridiculously monied and powerful-squirm under her gaze and directions.

Realizing that, however basic, he might not know how to use the kitchen utensils in front of him, she stepped back towards him to demonstrate.

"You use this little scoop with the cantaloupe….like so, and this knife works excellently with the pineapple. As you can see I've already cut it into chunks, now you just have to to use this knife to separate the skin from the fruit….the curve of the knife makes it very easy….like this, and then cut it into smaller pieces and add it to the bowl over here."

She looked up at him to confirm he had understood her directions and found him staring intently at the fruit she had just cut, as if attempting to commit to memory precisely how she had done it.

"It's okay if it's not _exactly_ like this. Approximations are okay when it comes to fruit salad!"

Elizabeth said before moving away to check on the pumpkin loaf.

"Lizzy, is everything going alright?"

Jane said in a hushed tone, coming up behind her with a bowl of hash browns for the tacos just as Charles came into the kitchen with two bottles of champagne in his hands.

"Yes, yes of course Jane." Lizzy waved her hand dismissively,

"Stop worrying about me I'm perfectly fine."

As Lizzy assisted Charles in setting up a mimosa station on one side of the island, a thought occurred to her. Could Charles and Darcy have had a talk concerning her and Darcy's encounter on Sunday night? Darcy's nervous and uncomfortable behaviour was almost seemingly bashful and seemed to indicate that _something_ had occurred between their phone call on Wednesday and today's brunch. She'd have to talk with Jane later to confirm it. For now, she was enjoying the reversal of their positions almost too much to be upset with Jane's potential interference.

She glanced over to where he was dutifully slicing pineapple and carving out small spheres of cantaloupe for the fruit salad. He was currently scooping rather slowly, likely due to the fact that he was attempting to replicate Lizzy's examples as closely as possible-her scooped and sliced fruit sitting isolated on the far left edge of his cutting board as an example.

As Jane and Charles were finishing up the taco fillings, Elizabeth asked if she could cut the stems on the flowers Darcy had brought and put them in water. After Darcy replied in the affirmative, Lizzy set to work on this task, gazing out upon the magnificent view of New York City afforded by Charles' apartment and pondering questions of insults, apologies, soft blue t-shirts and chopped fruit.

* * *

Darcy had spent much of the past week attempting to convince himself that the initial attraction he had felt for Elizabeth had been illusionary-merely the result of the intense aphrodisiacs that were her low-cut black dress, wild hair and the dim lighting and delicious food of the restaurant.

It didn't matter that upon speaking with her over the phone on Wednesday he had felt hot arousal pierce him somewhere in his lower belly and shoot up through his rib-cage. She had a voice that was simultaneously inviting and teasing-as well as husky, and, in Darcy's opinion, deeply sensual. It was warm sweet comfort with undertones of spice and bitterness, much like the delicious Mexican hot chocolate Georgiana had introduced him to while he was down visiting her in San Francisco not six months ago.

Now, meeting with her again face-to-face under the bright lights of Charles' kitchen Darcy had to seriously reevaluate his previous position. When he had first entered the apartment, his eyes had quickly sought out Elizabeth, finding her working in the kitchen, her dark curly hair secured loosely at her neck as she chopped fruit. Dark jeans encased her surprisingly long legs and a black, silky blouse hung off her curvaceous frame, concealing and revealing in such a way that made Darcy's mouth water involuntarily. He had quickly snapped his attention away from Elizabeth and to Charles in an effort to subdue these unwanted carnal impulses, only to be drawn back to her moments later.

When she suggested he chop fruit for her and leaned in near him to demonstrate, he stilled almost imperceptibly, forcing himself to continue breathing as she moved so close to him he could smell her shampoo and feel the heat radiating off her skin.

Images of him kissing her-alternating between soft and slow and furiosuly passionate-swept through his mind.

He could only imagine what it would be like to take her in his arms and run his fingers through her hair.

The body he had initially attempted to convince himself was heavy and unattractive was now provoking him immeasurably and he could only imagine how her lush curves would feel pressed up against him...

Surely he was going mad! He'd been pursued-actively _pursued_ -by wealthy and royal heiresses, socialites, actresses, singers, high-powered entrepreneurs and rising academics- all intelligent, beautiful and genial-perfectly at ease in high-society-in his social circles. And of course, on more than one occasion, he'd been attracted to these women, he'd given into his carnal desires, and played with them the game that is old as time.

However, he'd never felt this accute of an attraction despite the fact that the woman in question had made her dislike of his person painfully clear. Furthermore, Elizabeth didn't possess the sleek charm and practiced manners of Darcy's other inamoratas, a fact that only added to his bewilderment. He'd always been careful to limit his romantic relationships to those within his social circle, dating only women who held a certain level of independence and understood his position and the necessary perimeters of any relationship they would enter. This, to his thinking, eliminated the possibility of undue attachments or expectations on the part of the woman. Elizabeth was completely the opposite. She hadn't grown up in New York's high society and simply could not understand the various obligations of someone who moved in these circles. As if this wasn't enough, she was an untrained chef who had just moved to New York City , had what Darcy could only assume was a poorly paying job and had dreams of opening her own restaurant one day. Furthermore, from what Darcy had gathered from the couple of encounters they had had, she was a warm and intensely passionate individual who would most certainly be prone to forming the very kind of undue attachments that Darcy worked so hard to avoid.

Had Darcy been a little more self-aware, he would have then perceived that at the present moment _he_ was the only one in grave danger of forming any undue attachments.


End file.
